SCOTLAND'S employment total has seen its largest annual rise for almost seven years, with 92,000 more people now in work than there were a year ago.

The latest figures show employment has risen while the jobless total north of the border continues to fall.

The number of people in Scotland who are in work increased to 2,556,000 over the three months between October and December last year.

Employment increased by 9,000 over the quarter and was up by 92,000 on the same period in 2012 - with the Scottish Government hailing this as the largest annual rise in employment in almost seven years.

The number of women in work has risen by 72,000 over the year.

The unemployment total - which includes those out of work and not eligible for benefits - dropped by 3,000 between October and December last year to stand at 195,000, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The number of people not working and claiming jobseeker's allowance also fell by 2,900 between December and January, to a new total of 110,400.

This is the 15th month in a row that the number of people claiming this benefit has fallen, with this 27,000 less than it was in the first month of 2013.

The unemployment rate in Scotland is now 7.1%, slightly below the rate of 7.2% for the UK as a whole.